Composite ski



R. GROSSAUER COMPOSITE sx1 March 12, 1968 Filed OCT.. l, 1965 FIG.;I

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INVENTOR, nounou Gfeossnuea BY KJ/MM United States Patent O 3,372,943 COMPOSITE SKI Rudolf Grossauer, Steyr, Austria, assignor to Bruder Rlha K.G., Steyr-Pyrach, Austria Filed Oct. 1, 1965, Ser. No. 492,055 Claims priority, application Austria, Oct. 9, 1964,

12 Claims. (Cl. Z110-11.13)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The main carrying lframe of a composite ski comprises interconnected resilient edge strips increasing in cross section from the shovel to the binding portion of the ski. Two covering sheets connect the spaced edge strips and extend across the top and bottom of the frame. The edge strips have longitudinal grooves on their `inside which accommodate the edges of the covering sheets.

This invention relates to a composite ski, in which those parts which mainly carry the load consist of metal or synthetic resin and which ski comprises edge strips provided with reinforcing edge members that serve preferably also as a bordering for .a tread covering.

In all known skis of this type, the edge strips have substantially only the object of providing for a sharp outside edge of the body of the ski and of holding the reinforcing edge members. In most cases, the body of the ski is made from sectional sheet metal members joined by welding to form a box section, which has outwardly directed flanges or edge steps for mounting the edge strips. At least the lower sectional sheet metal member of the box section is in this case preferably of channel section. Suficiently sharp outside edges cannot be provided between the flanges and the web of this sectional sheet metal member so that edge strips must be provided for this reason alone. In other ski designs, inserted edge strips serve only as spacers between the upper and lower, sectional sheet metal members, which constitute the main carrying members of the ski. In this design, the provision of reinforcing edge members, which .are essential in a modern ski, is hardly possible. It is also known to make a `ski in the form of an open-topped, U-shaped sheet metal member and to reinforce the flanges by serted on edge. A channel-shaped ski as is proposed in this case cannot be used in practice and cannot be provided with reinforcing edge members. The outside edges of the sectional sheet metal member will .always be slightly rounded and will never be so sharp that they can replace a reinforcing edge member. In all known skis which can be used in practice, the carrying capacity and torsional resistance of the ski are at least mainly due to a suitable design of the box section or of a carrying member of wood, which may be faced with plates of metal or plastics material. Wooden inserts suffer from fatigue so that such a ski has only a short life. Besides, all skis of this type are complicated in design and manufacture. Skis having a box section body are stiff so that they often fail to reach the skiing properties ofthe high-grade skis of wood, whereas the latter have only a short life.

This invention relates to a ski of the type mentioned first hereinbefore and resides substantially in that the edge strips made from resilient material have a large cross-section, which increases from the shovel to the area of the binding, and are connected to form a carrying frame, which constitutes the main carrying member of the ski, and which has longitudinal legs that are additionally interconnected by transverse webs or the like, which serve as spacers, said frame being covered at least at the top or steel strips in- ICC bottom. As contrasted with the previously usual box section carrying member, the main carrying member is constituted in the ski according to the invention by the carrying frame formed by the edge strips. The cross-section of the edge strips may be dimensioned so that the desired elastic and strength properties can be adjusted in each portion of the llength of the ski. The edge strips themselves may be made from steel, light metal, preferably aluminum alloy, or of synthetic resin, which is preferably reinforced, and may be either solid or hollow. In each case, the remaining parts of the ski are of minor signiiicance for its skiing properties. Different damping properties may be provided for, if desired, by a variation in the design of the cross-webs and/ or of the coverings or the like. Harder or softer skis may be obtained merely by a suitable dimensioning of the edge strips. The manufacture is much simplified bythe design according to the invention.

In a development of the invention, two covering sheets of metal or of synthetic resin, which may be reinforced, are provided, which cover the top and bottom of the carrying frame and are connected to the edge strips. These covering sheets form preferably also the spacer, which prevents an outward bending of only one frame leg and at the same time affords to the ski the required resistance to torsion. In a preferred embodiment, which enables a satisfactory connection and at the same time an extremely simple manufacture, the edges of the covering sheets are inserted and secured, preferably by adhesive in longitudinal grooves which are formed in the inside surfaces of the edge strips. In this arrangement, the joints are covered toward the outside. The .adhesive areas are much larger than when the covering sheets are merely adhered to the top or bottom of the edge strips. Besides, when the ski is bent, the loads `are directly transmitted from the covering sheets to the boundary wal'ls of the grooves whereas the adhesive joints are not subjected to stresses tending to separate said joints.

YIn a preferred embodiment, the longitudinal grooves arev provided directly beside the upper or lower inside edge of the edge strips rand the height of the edge strips decreases from the binding portion to the shovel portion so that these longitudinal grooves .are spaced apart adjacent to the binding and merge adjacent to the Vshovel to form a wider groove, which receives the edges of both covering sheet. The lower covering sheet has preferably upwardly offset edges for entering the grooves so that its underside, which is disposed beside the edge strips, forms together with the underside of the edge strips a plane backing surface for the tread covering. i

As has been mentioned hereinbefore, the use of separate covering sheets is not required. The edge strips may readily be connected by a single cross-web, which may be disposed at the top, at the bottom or on an intermediate leve'l, or by crossing struts, and the ski body may be lled with other means for closing the frame at the top and bottom and for mounting the binding .and the tread covering. For instance, the cavity which is left between the edge strips may be filled with plastics material, preferably foamed plastics material, in which the spacers or a backing plate may be embedded .adjacent to the binding. Even if top and it may be suitable to fill the cavity with foamed plastics material because this will result in a damping of the resilience to some extent and in an increased bulging resistance of the coverings and enables the use of thinwalled coverings.

An embodiment of the invention is shown by way of exam-ple on the accompanying drawing, in which FIG. 1 is a top plan view showing a ski and FIGS. 2 and 3 are transverse sectional views taken on lines II-II and III- III of FIG. l.

bottom coverings are provided Two edge strips 1, 2, which extend from the tip to the rear end of the ski, are directly connected at the tip of the ski `and are connected at the rear end of the ski by a spacer 3, which has a sectional shape matching that of the edge strips 1, 2. The edge strips 1, 2 are formed on their underside withv grooves 4, which receive one ange of angle-section reinforcing edge members 5.'The inside faces of the edge strips 1, 2 and of the spacer 3 are pro vided close to the top and bottom edges with horizontal grooves 6 and 7, respectively, which receive the edges of covering sheets 8, 9. These edges are adhesively secured in the grooves 6 and 7. The edges 10 of the lower covering sheet are upwardly offset so that the underside of the covering sheet 9 is Hush with the underside of the edge strips 1, 2. As is apparent, the height and cross-section of the marginal strips decreases from adjacent to the binding (cross-section III) toward the shovel. Thus the grooves 6, 7 merge to form a common groove 6a adjacent to the shovel. The edges of the two covering sheets 8, 9 lie against each other in the groove 6a. The covering sheets are preferably made from sheet metal and are provided at the top with a synthetic resin facing 11 held between the edge strips and at the bottom with a tread covering 12, which isalso made from synthetic resin and extends to the reinforcing edge members 5 and is for-med with a machined guiding groove 13.

What is claimed is:

1. A composite ski, which has a shovel portion and a binding portion, said ski comprising a resilient carrying frame constituting the main carrying member of the ski, said frame comprising interconnected edge strips made of resilient material and increasing in cross-section from said shovel portion toward said binding portion, spacers connected between said edge strips, and two covering sheets connected to the edge strips and extending across the top and bottom of said frame said edge strips being formed on their inside surfaces with longitudinal grooves close to the upper and lower edges of the inside surfaces of the edge strips, 4the height of the edge strips decreasing from the binding portion to the shovel portion, said longitudinal grooves in the inside surfaces of each edge strip being spaced apart adjacent the binding portion and merging in the shovel portion to form a single groove, and said covering sheets having edges accommodated and secured in said longitudinal grooves.

2. A composite ski ras set forth in claim 1, in which said edge strips consist of metal.

3. A composite ski as set forth in claim 1, in which said edge strips consist of plastics material.

4. A composite ski as set forth in claim 1, which comprises reinforcing edge members mounted on said edge strips.

5. A composite ski as set forth in claim 4, which comprises a tread covering provided on said covering means extending across the bottom of said frame, said tread covering being bordered by said reinforcing edge members.

6. A composite ski as set forth in claim 1, in which said covering sheets consist of metal.

7. A composite ski as set forth in claim 1, in which said covering sheets consist of synthetic resin.

8. A composite ski as set forth in claim 1, in which said covering sheets consist of reinforced synthetic resin.

9. A composite ski as set forth in claim 1, in which said edges are adhesively secured in said grooves.

10. A composite ski as set forth in claim 1, in which said edges of the lower covering sheet are upwardly offset and the underside of the main portion of said lower covering sheet and the underside of said edge strips `lie in a plane and form a supporting surface, said supporting surface being provided with a tread covering.

11. A composite ski as set forth in claim 1, in which said edge strips consist of a material selected from the class consisting of steel, light metal, including aluminum alloys, and synthetic resin, including reinforced synthetic resin.

12. A composite ski as set forth in claim 1, in which said edge strips are formed on the underside with longitudinal grooves adjacent to the outer edge and which comprises `angle-section reinforcing edge members having each an upright flange secured in one of said longitudinal grooves and a horizontal flange protruding outwardly beyond one of said edge strips.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,920,898 1/1960 Metcalf et al ZBO-11.13 3,074,732 1/1963 Riha 28011.13 3,132,874 5/1964 Baudou 2SC-11.13 3,151,873 10/1964 Riha 280-l1.1`3 3,208,761 9/1965 Sullivan et al 280-l1.13

FOREIGN PATENTS 655,338 1/1963 Canada.

BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner.

M. L. SMITH, Assistant Examiner. 

